


Listening at the Door

by redeem147



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-04
Updated: 2011-08-04
Packaged: 2017-10-22 05:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/234080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redeem147/pseuds/redeem147
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Buffy is shocked to overhear Spike's true feelings about Harmony</p>
            </blockquote>





	Listening at the Door

She’d heard he was back. Dawn had seen him. She’d tried to stay away after hearing, for what must almost be two hours now. Enough waiting. Time to stop denying that his face was the last image in her mind at night, and the first in the morning. Time to stop denying that she could possibly have feelings for him. Time to stop denying the feelings the first slayer guide said were so deep in her that she ran from them. Time to claim her gift.

 

The dead thing.

 

She stopped at the crypt door. Should she knock? She never had before. Besides, how could he complain about people barging in when he hadn’t even closed the door properly? She listened at the crypt entrance, to see if he was inside.

 

She heard his voice. Tobacco smoke wrapped in silk. The chill ran down her spine and came out in the general direction of her toenails. She listened closer, trying to make out the words.

 

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed Harmony.”

 

What the hell? Did he just say that? Was he kidding?

 

“I don’t know, Spike.” Clem’s voice. “I tried all summer to understand, but I just don’t get it.”

 

“How can you not get it?” Spike was insistent, passionate. “I love Harmony. Always have.”

 

So that’s how it felt to get staked in the gut? She’d forgotten. All that time, all last year, when he was with her, his mind had been on that vapid airhead vamp. Every time he’d kissed her, every time they’d been together, he was thinking of her. Every time he’d said he loved her, it was just a lie.

 

New improved Buffy would have walked away. New improved Buffy would have realized that karma’s a bitch. New improved Buffy would have chalked it up to experience.

 

New improved Buffy must have been taking a nap.

 

She slammed the crypt door open, banging it against the stone wall. She stomped into the chamber, to find Spike and Clem sitting in front of the television. How mundane, while her world fell apart.

 

“I can’t believe it. I can’t...” She was red with anger and pain, tears stinging her eyes. “How could you?”

 

Spike jumped up from his chair. “Buffy? Oh, god, Buffy love. I’m sorry. I meant to see you first off, but I was afraid. After what happened...”

 

She pulled a stake from her coat pocket and balanced it in her hand. Could she do it? Would that kill the pain? “Every time you touched me, you were thinking about Harmony. Weren’t you? Admit it.”

 

“Darling, when I was with you, Harmony was the last thing on my mind. Charity, maybe. But really, I’m not a slave to the telly. Don’t know why it upsets you so much, though.”

 

“Huh?” Her hand dropped, but she held on to the stake.

 

“Harmony. The town. On Passions. I’ve missed it all summer. Didn’t even know Julian was back.” A thought dropped on him like a Kansas farmhouse. “Oh, dear lord. You didn’t overhear me? Didn’t think I meant...Ewww.”

 

“The town on Passions is called Harmony? How weird is that?” She pushed the stake into her pocket. “Um, welcome home?” She tried to look nonchalant, decided it wasn’t worth the effort, and threw herself into Spike’s arms.

 

Spike kissed her, then realized Clem was still sitting there, looking awkward. “Ah, mate, sorry to interrupt our quality time, but do you think you could come back a little later?”

 

“Heck no.” Clem started for the door. “I don’t like watching soaps on TV. I really don’t need to watch one in real life.”

 

They didn’t even hear him leave.


End file.
